‘Godzilla’ Set Videos & Images Suggest Japanese Setting

Having built up a good deal of hype with a well-received teaser presentation at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, director Gareth Edwards’ reboot of Godzilla is an undeniably hot (and hotly-anticipated) property. After assembling a top-notch cast, the movie just recently began production in British Columbia.

Extremely little is known about the actual content of the Godzilla script, including exactly where the titular radioactive lizard will wreak his signature havoc. Clues (or, perhaps, red herrings) to the setting of the film were recently dropped in the first set video from the production, released by Edwards himself.

As you can see above, the first official video released by the Godzilla production remains coy as to any actual content of the film. However, the camera lingering on airport signs in Japanese does suggest that the film will at least partially take place on the big green monster’s native islands.

Edwards’ semi-exhausted celebration of his first shot isn’t the only Godzilla-related video released in previous days. The second was apparently shot by local residents around the set in Nanaimo, British Columbia. You can check out the brief footage (set appropriately to Blue Öyster Cult’s classic song, “Godzilla”) below:

The above video of charred cars and helicopters does little to confirm or deny Godzilla‘s setting. One might interpret the brief glimpse of a bamboo fence and decrepit fishing structure as hinting at a stomp through rural Japan, but this is speculation at best.

There is one definite item one can take from this short video – Edwards’ reinterpretation of Godzilla will likely not skimp on the carnage. Recent images taken on the set definitely indicate a large scale military presence in the film, and this footage of burning vehicles suggests that human resistance against a rampaging, titanic monster will be just as fruitless as it’s ever been.

Thus we come to the real question of the moment: Will Gareth Edwards have British Columbia fill in for Japan? Much of Godzilla‘s primary cast is North American or European in origin (with the notable exception of Ken Watanabe), but this doesn’t rule the film out of at least starting (or traveling to) Japan. This jibes with previous comments that this version of Godzilla will be a return to the franchise’s darker, disaster movie roots.

Stay tuned to Screen Rant for more news on what’s shaping up to be the biggest and most fascinating reboot of recent years.

ok wow… sry guys I was just poking fun at the redundance of this article. Of course its gonna be a japanese setting. I’m completely aware of the fact that Godzilla is a japanese icon. I just thought it was a silly article title. Of course the movie would be set in japan

I understand the sentiment, but it’s generally bad practice to use words like “all” or “every” or “none” when making a statement and attempting to convince others that it’s true. You know in your heart of hearts that Hollywood has put out some wonderful films. And if you think Japan takes all its films seriously then I suggest you look up the trailers for RoboGeisha or Aliens vs. Ninja.

Its a spectrum as all things are, there’s always crap but there are also amazing films regardless of the country of origin, indie or studio, massive or shoestring budgets. Speaking in absolutes gives a very poor vision of what is truly out there.

Yes Go Watch NOW!!
Couple of recommendations
There’s 3 era’s of Godzilla moive tied in with the design of the suit and the portrail of Godzilla

The Showa series ran till 1975 with the Big G as more of an anti-hero protecting the people of Japan from all threats (usually spacemen from Planet/Dimension X). The films are VERY cheesy with a fair bit of recycled footage but they’re still awesome.

Dig out Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla from ’74

My personal favourite era is Heisei where Godzilla is more of a force of nature and the suit looks more aggresive and feline.

Ive been a huge godzilla fan since i was about 5, and i am 20 now. This is my most anticipated film for 2014. CAN NOT WAIT!!! I hope it is good. SO EXCITED. I feel like having meself a godzilla marathon.

Hey dude what are the best godzilla movies to watch? Cuz I love myself a good movie marathon but I assume some Godzilla movies are better than others. Would I be correct in that statement? If so I would love to know like your BEST OF list of godzilla movies cuz I’m assuming by your choice of avatar that you’re a bit of an expert on the subject

Wow, my personal favorites would have to be…
1. The original godzilla (1954), either version is good. the japanese or the american version (Raymond Burr is basically spliced into the story.)
2. Destroy All Monsters (basically the avengers of kaiju monsters)
3. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
4. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
5. Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla
6. Godzilla 2000. the american dubbing is horrible. but once you get past that its pretty good.
7. Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack
8. and Godzilla: Final Wars if only for the shear number of kaiju and the fight scene between godzilla and the american godzilla pretty funny. also the film has a weird matrix style to it.

Sweet! I just emailed the list to myself. I watched a godzilla movie as a kid. I’m pretty sure it was the original Godzilla, the american version. Cuz it was in Japan and there was this random american dude in it. I really don’t remember it all too well tho. But yeah I’d like to watch these some time, I’ll just go down the list

Also the fact that roland emmerich’s godzilla is nowhere on the list bolsters my confidence in your know-how even more

Im positive i am going to attract some negative criticism and willing to accept it so let me say right off the bat that for starters i am huge fan of the G-man. But, (and i dont know about anyone else) i kinda feel like sometimes that this might take the Bay Route where they focus more on the human characters than the actual star of the film, which in this case is Godzilla. Dont get me wrong, from what i’ve ssen so far it looks promising and i definitely am looking forward to this film, but sometimes i get my doubts especially when they seem to be focusing heavily on the casting choices IMO

That movie focused on the people and Gojira from each perspective. I started watching Godzilla films when I was 5, I am 45 now. Godzilla is what he is, a creature lost in a world he does not understand, and the people of the world destined to either be defeated by or defeat him.

You’re describing the soul of the Frankenstein creature rebooted as a 1954 creation born of nuclear radiation. Given what recently occurred at Japan’s nuclear facility on the island of Fukushima, it’s no leap to imagine the remake tells the story of how an amphibian mutated into a “fire-breathing monster” (hence the char) to wreak havoc. If this will be from the human perspective entirely, one might quibble; the monster’s point-of-view would be different and quite interesting. Otherwise, it’s like the Frankenstein creature (and GORGO, for that matter) where after large amounts of damage and harm, Godzilla wanders off…looking for the sequel.

@Cody How many films have been messed up by America? I’ll wait & Yes foreign cinema is superior to the movies made in the states. Watch films from Ireland (my place of birth), France, Japan or Swedan and you’ll see the difference. Foreign film isn’t scared to push boundaries unlike American films. Lol we don’t do sparkling vampires & sh*tloads of reboots.

You act like America is the only country that has fumbled any movies before, lol.

I’ve seen quite a lot of foreign films, some are good, some are bad, same as America, a lot of Japanese films can be ridiculously bad the same with French cinema & shouldn’t it be Sweden not Swedan…

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a fine adaption from Sweden as was Let Me In, Hollywood done a fine job there & it helped spread the story even further around the world to people who probably wouldn’t have seen it otherwise, surely they must happy about it, no need to be so bitter about it.

There are also a lot of movies that are adapted from America too, it goes both ways, i’m glad they do it, doesn’t bother me at all.

American films push boundaries, Brokeback Mountain immediately comes to mind, some other HIV movies helped spread awareness plus a lot of documentaries from America are very edifying for people all around the world.

Generalizing that all movies from America are messed up or Twilight of lots of reboots is incredibly ignorant & I don’t mind reboots anyway, the special effects can be vastly improved & it helps the source material find a younger audience, what’s so bad about that?

The Difference between films from The United States and other countries is not the quality of the films.

European Movies are mostly independent films, with lower budgets and have more substance over special effects. Movies that win the Oscar for Cinematography are more likely to be from europe because they use hillside, countries, backgrounds and people. More often than note, European films are shot on film cameras than digital cameras for the fact it gives a more depth of reality.

Special Effects are good for a blockbuster, but you do not need them to make a movie.

In the States, people are mindless to summer movies, they do not want to go to a movie and see artistic development, they want to see guns, explosions, fights and no story, they want their action. Movies in the United States and massed produced to fill a select group of people, action, horror, comedy, drama. Each films requires added elements, each film does not need what the previous film needed.

In the From the early 30s to the late 70s in that span, you would be hard pressed to find any truly bad movies made in the United States, From Gone with the Wind to Midway to The Godfather to The Exorcist to One Flew Over the Cuckoos nest. You would be hard pressed not to find 10 good movies from each decade.

I have seen many movies and generes. but if you never seen High Noon, you are missing one of the best westerns ever made

It had better. Godzilla is a japanese creation, an embodyment of the national conciousness after WWII, the fear of atomic power and the constant awareness of natural disasters (tsunami & earthquake)

Having a giant gecko/iguana running around New York didn’t work. It’s not a bad movie but it AINT Godzilla, it’s just a Kaiju (monster) movie.

I have no objection to Godzilla getting his passport out but he has to start or finish in Japan and he has to look right, The Big G’s design is going to be a big factor in the success of this movie.

Like Bond we’ve had 50years of an archetype look, maybe played by different actors, with a slightly different look, playing different aspects of the characters personality but all it takes is one look and you know that it’s Bond.

Should be the same with Godzilla, in the remake the design was too much of a departure. Hopefully a similar mistake won’t be repeated

I love artistic films but seriously when its 20$ to see a movie in a theater I’m only going to pay for something that warrants a giant screen/sound… So basically big budget blockbusters or effects heavy movies. The comedies, or drama with character&dialogue driven I can wait until they are on netflix.

You would be correct sir. Godzilla and Mothra have been linked together since their first battle. Mothra in my mind and the oppinions of others everything that Godzilla is not. Godzilla has never been good or evil, Godzilla acts out of sheer survival instinct, another monster around, Godzilla will fight to protect themselves from another threat.

Mothra on the other hand, will defend and protect humans, always has, and always will. Mothra for all pratical sense and purpose is a female for a reason, she will defend with a mothers resolves, and she will protect those that need protecting, even to the point of scarification her life. Even the Mothra Larvae are protective from birth, and they only thing about Mothra, she will lay her eggs knowing she will be killed in battle.

And in extreme situation where Mothra cannot defend herself, or the people. Mothra Leo will awaken and take the battle to the threat.

Mothra is the Protector of Humanity and a mortal enemy of Battra when it comes to protecting the people.

Mothra Leo is a male Mothra, but due to the fact that he is Male, once Mothra Leo is born, he is the last of his kind. There are no more females to lay eggs. Mothra will die in battle once shes knows her eggs are laid. The Larvae will hatch and take up their mother’s fight. One or both larvae can be female, one can be male or female, but you will not get two males.

Both Larvae will evolved into Mothra, one will stay to fight when summoned, one will go into a dormant state till at which time the life force of the awaken Mothra is gone. If that Mothra is a Mothra Leo, he is far stronger, more powerful and can assume and morph into various forms, Armor, Aqua, Rainbow and Light Speed Mothra.

Wonder what size Godzilla is going to be, since Godzilla has varied in size from
1954-1975 Godzilla was 160 feet tall.
1985-89 Godzilla was 270 feet tall.
1992-95 he was a Whopping 335 feet tall.
2000 He went back down to 270 feet.

The Threats to Godzilla that could be in the movie. Since they said more than one monster.

The following are the monster more of a threat to Godzilla and Humanity.
1. King Ghidorah. The most common and physical threat to Godzilla. Godzilla sometimes needs help in defeating him.
2. Gigan, like King Ghidorah has a tendecy to always match Godzilla. But also a skilled coward.
3. Biollante…Ok so its a Rose crossed with Godzilla DNA, but still a big threat.
4. Space Godzilla. Corny, but a great threat to Godzilla.
5. Destroyah, well…its in the name, Killed Godzilla by forcing Godzilla to go into meltdown mode to weaken him so the G Force could destroy him. More powerful, Bigger and nastier than Godzilla.
6.Mecha-Godzilla. More so, controlled by Humans, or Aliens, cannot act without input, can go toe to toe with Godzilla, but in the end, need to reboot then gets ripped apart.
7. Hedorah/Smog Monster. Stupid, ugly, not much of a fighter, needs pollution…Can get destroyed by a army of Toyota Priuses
8.Ebriah…Giant Shrimp? Scampi anyone?

9.Mothra. Never lost to Godzilla, even the larvae form of Mothra were able to defeat Godzilla, one of the more powerful(Third behind Destroyah and Godzilla. Kajiu and the one who actually will mot attack humans, even when provoked. But will rescue its guardians. A Match for any Kajiu on the planet.

Any of them can be in the film, if they want to go the route. I ommited a few of them because, seriously. Kamacuras? A Giant Praying mantis with chameleon ability?

I am a huge Godzilla fan, have been for years and I cannot wait for this movie!! The excitement & enthusiasm from the crew and director is a great sign to me that they understand the big guy, and that they know what fans are looking for. I’ve waited a loooong time for a good Godzilla film, and it looks like one might finally be on its way!